Rebecca Ann Parker (born 1953) is an American

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, author, and former President of

Starr King School for the Ministry Starr King School for the Ministry is a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Oakland, California. The seminary was formed in 1904 to educate leaders for the growing number of progressive religious communities in the western part of the US. The scho ...

, the first woman to serve as the permanent head of an accredited U.S. theological school.

Education and career

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker is the daughter and granddaughter of progressive, intellectual women and liberal,

Social Gospel The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean envir ...

clergymen. Parker is a descendant of settlers in French Canada and Alaska. Her parents were anti-war and

Civil Rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

activists. Parker studied

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

performance at the University of Washington and the University of Puget Sound. For many years, she performed and toured regularly with Orchestra Seattle and later with the Rose Trio. Parker received a bachelor's degree from the University of Puget Sound in 1975, a Doctorate of Ministry from

Claremont School of Theology Claremont School of Theology (CST) is an American graduate school focused on religion and theology and located in Claremont, California. CST is fully recognized and approved as one of thirteen official theological schools of the United Methodis ...

in 1979, and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Northwest Theological Union. Her doctoral studies focused on

Alfred North Whitehead Alfred North Whitehead (15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947) was an English mathematician and philosopher. He is best known as the defining figure of the philosophical school known as process philosophy, which today has found applicat ...

's theory of consciousness as a basis for a spirituality that integrates aesthetics and social engagement. She was ordained a

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

minister in 1992 and holds dual fellowship with the

Unitarian Universalist Association Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations. It was formed in 1961 by the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America, both P ...

. She has worked in United Methodist and

Unitarian Universalist Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

congregations, including All Souls Unitarian in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and Wallingford United Methodist Church in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, which was a pioneer in the Reconciling Congregation movement, affirming the sacred worth of all

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

people. She served as President of Starr King School for the Ministry from 1990 to 2014 and is now a Professor of Theology Emerita. She has worked as the Theologian In-Residence and Minister for Adult Spiritual Development at All Souls Church in Washington, DC. Parker has written numerous

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

s, speeches, magazine articles, and poetry as well as several theological books published by

Beacon Press Beacon Press is an American left-wing non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is known for publishing authors such as James B ...

and Skinner House. Dr. Parker became a founding board member o
The Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy
in 2012. She lives in

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

and Washington, D.C., with her spouse, Rev. Joanne M Braxton, Ph.D., another founder of The Braxton Institute.

Published works

* ''A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the 21st Century'', co-authored with John Buehrens (Beacon, 2010) * ''Blessing the World: What Can Save Us Now'', collected essays edited by Robert Hardies (Skinner, 2006) * ''Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire,'' co-authored with Rita Nakashima Brock (Beacon, 2009) * ''Proverbs of Ashes: Redemptive Violence and the Search for What Saves Us'', co-authored with Rita Nakashima Brock (Beacon, 2002)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Rebecca Ann American theologians Women theologians Starr King School for the Ministry American women writers 21st-century American philosophers American women philosophers American spiritual writers American religious writers 1953 births Living people